Pat past tense
Meaning of pat
to touch lightly and repeatedly, as with the hand flat, especially in a fond or affectionate way.
Infinitive
- 1. Every morning, she likes to pat her dog gently on the head.
- 2. He always pats his pockets to check for his keys before leaving the house.
- 3. They pat the soil around the newly planted seeds to ensure good contact with the earth.
Past Simple
- 1. I patted the dog gently on the head as it lay beside me.
- 2. He patted the dough into shape before putting it into the oven.
- 3. She patted her pockets to make sure she hadn't forgotten her keys.
Past Participle
- 1. The dough was patted flat by the baker before it was baked.
- 2. The cat had been patted gently by the child before it fell asleep.
- 3. After being patted dry, the chicken was marinated with spices.
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Bare infinitive
- Habitual actions or routines. When describing actions that happen regularly or are part of a daily, weekly, or systematic routine.Example. She pats her dog every morning before breakfast.Example. The teacher always pats students on the back for good work.Example. The play pats at 8 PM tomorrow.Example. Pat the dough gently before rolling it out.
- General truths or facts. When stating facts or general truths that are not limited to a specific moment in time.Example. She pats her dog every morning before breakfast.Example. The teacher always pats students on the back for good work.Example. The play pats at 8 PM tomorrow.Example. Pat the dough gently before rolling it out.
- Scheduled events in the near future (sometimes). In some contexts, especially related to timetables or schedules.Example. She pats her dog every morning before breakfast.Example. The teacher always pats students on the back for good work.Example. The play pats at 8 PM tomorrow.Example. Pat the dough gently before rolling it out.
- Instructions or directions. Often used in imperatives or when giving instructions.Example. She pats her dog every morning before breakfast.Example. The teacher always pats students on the back for good work.Example. The play pats at 8 PM tomorrow.Example. Pat the dough gently before rolling it out.
Past Simple
- Completed actions in the past. When talking about actions that were completed at a specific time in the past.Example. She patted her dog gently last night.Example. She patted the cushion, sat down, and then started reading her book.Example. He often patted his pockets to check for his keys when he lived in that old house.
- A sequence of actions in the past. When narrating a sequence of completed actions or events that occurred one after another in the past.Example. She patted her dog gently last night.Example. She patted the cushion, sat down, and then started reading her book.Example. He often patted his pockets to check for his keys when he lived in that old house.
- Past habits or states. Describing habits or states that were true in the past but are no longer the case.Example. She patted her dog gently last night.Example. She patted the cushion, sat down, and then started reading her book.Example. He often patted his pockets to check for his keys when he lived in that old house.
Past Participle
- Perfect tenses.Example. I have patted many dogs in my lifetime.Example. She had already patted the dough before I arrived in the kitchen.Example. By the time you get home, I will have patted the dog and fed him.
- Present Perfect. Talking about actions or events that occurred at an unspecified time before now. The exact time is not important or not known.Example. I have patted many dogs in my lifetime.Example. She had already patted the dough before I arrived in the kitchen.Example. By the time you get home, I will have patted the dog and fed him.
- Past Perfect. Describing an action that occurred before another action or time in the past.Example. I have patted many dogs in my lifetime.Example. She had already patted the dough before I arrived in the kitchen.Example. By the time you get home, I will have patted the dog and fed him.
- Future Perfect. Describing an action that will have been completed by a certain future time.Example. I have patted many dogs in my lifetime.Example. She had already patted the dough before I arrived in the kitchen.Example. By the time you get home, I will have patted the dog and fed him.
Common mistakes
— 01
Incorrect Form Usage for Regular Verbs
A common mistake is using an incorrect form for the past simple and past participle of regular verbs. For 'pat' which is a regular verb, the correct past simple and past participle form is 'patted.' A frequent error is either not doubling the final consonant before adding 'ed' for the past forms or using the base form for all tenses (e.g., 'Yesterday, I pat the dog' instead of the correct 'Yesterday, I patted the dog').
— 02
Confusion with Irregular Verbs
Another mistake involves treating regular verbs like irregular verbs. In English, many verbs change form completely in their past simple and past participle forms (e.g., go/went/gone). A common error with 'pat' might be trying to create an irregular past form where none exists (e.g., 'I have pat the cat' instead of 'I have patted the cat').
— 03
Application in Perfect Tenses
Lastly, a mistake often occurs in the use of the past participle form within perfect tenses. The past participle form 'patted' should be consistently used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect aspects (e.g., 'I have patted,' 'I had patted'). A common error is using the simple past form instead of the past participle in these constructions (e.g., 'I have patted the dog' incorrectly rendered as 'I have pat the dog').
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Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple form of 'pat'?
How is the past participle of 'pat' used?
Can you give an example of a sentence using 'pat' in the past simple?